Head Support

Even though pelvic stability is usually considered to be the most important foundation of good posture, it is the head that needs to be positioned correctly for most functional purposes.

Thus, positioning the head in the right place is not just an important aspect of good posture, it is also essential for carrying out daily functional activities including eye contact, social interaction, spatial awareness, balance, swallowing, digestion, breathing etc. which can each be affected if the head is not positioned correctly.

Restraint, Rest, or Support?

Are all of these functions possible in the one head positioning item?

A head restraint, as the name suggests, limits the movement of the head, but in terms of crashworthiness it can protect against high impact accidents and whiplash. A head rest, on the other hand, is specially designed to give the client a cushion on which to rest the occipital area of the head. It catches the headwhen a chair is reclined or tilted, and acts as a rest when the client is tired of holding their head. A head support is mainly used to support the sub occipital part of the head and is a positioning device. It helps promote feeding, digestion, swallowing, breathing, and eye contact, by holding and positioning the headin midline. Some head supports act as head rests for the occipital area, while supporting the sub occipital area of the head.

Taking this into consideration, BES provide a range of head supports and head rests, designed to with the users needs in mind.